


worse

by gingergenower



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Catarina pov, Feelings, Gen, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Light Angst, M/M, Missing Scene, spoilers 3x11
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-11-06 04:34:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17932913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingergenower/pseuds/gingergenower
Summary: Catarina half expects a body.





	worse

**Author's Note:**

> trigger warning: reference to the iris demon-rape situation in 2x05

The phone call is somewhat better than Catarina expects.

None of them are willing to put Madzie in any kind of danger- she’s unusually attached, unwilling to even leave the same room as Catarina in the hours after Iris’ reappearance- and Catarina agrees that Magnus wouldn’t want them to, anyway.

But.

There’s that lingering doubt in Catarina’s head.

Iris systematically organised the rape of mundane women. Catarina was called in to deal with the aftermath with Magnus, she saw what that woman was capable of, she’s brutally callous and single-minded and _Magnus can’t fight her_.

Truthfully, Catarina half expects the phone call to be ‘we got her, but-’.

She half expects a body.

Instead, it’s the Lightwood sister, calm enough, explaining that they brought her in and Magnus was hurt. They already have a warlock en route to the Institute, but he asked for her specifically and the head of the Institute is willing to pay for her time.

For a moment, Iris wonders how Alec fixes the expenses to explain that away, but she only tells her payment won’t be necessary and she’ll be there in a few minutes, asking if she’s safe to bring Madzie with her.

The blonde shadowhunter- the one Magnus quietly assured her was kind- lets her into the Institute, telling Madzie he likes her scarf and not taking it personally when she buries her face in Catarina’s shoulder.

At the infirmary, looking through the narrow pane of glass, Catarina sees Magnus. He’s sat on the edge of the bed, cradling his wrist, and Alec presses a gentle kiss to his forehead as she raps her knuckles against the door. They both look up, but Magnus stays where Alec walks to the door and opens up, but she glances at Magnus and- reads him. Understands his expression.

Hitching Madzie up, she softens her voice, coaxing. “Hey, look who it is.”

Slowly, Madzie looks up, hiding behind her teddy, and Alec meets her with a bright, enthusiastic smile.

“Hey, Madzie.”

She sits up in Catarina’s arms, attentive and interested.

“I just need to talk to Magnus. Is it ok if you sit out here with Alec for a few minutes?”

Before she’s even finished the question, Madzie’s reaching out to him, so Catarina hands her over. Alec thanks Catarina quietly as he heads to the chairs in the waiting area, and she just nods, going into the infirmary and shutting the door securely behind her.

“How is she?” Magnus asks, immediately, and Catarina waves him off.

“She just needs a couple of days. Kids bounce. How are you?”

“Iris got me,” Magnus says, rolling his eyes, but he doesn’t quite look at Catarina, and she notices he’s not holding his wrist anymore. “Did something to my ankle.”

“Should be a quick fix, then,” she says, deliberately lightly, and waves her hands. The ankle’s badly twisted, easily fixed, but she frowns when she sweeps over the rest of him, knitting his skin back together where it needs it. It’s like he has blunt force trauma in his stomach, the internal bleeding not bad yet but not something she could’ve afforded to miss, and when he meets Magnus’ eyes, she sees he could feel it, and that he knew she’d find it anyway.

For the sake of his dignity, she doesn’t entirely heal his wrist, pretending not to have seen, but does enough that the pain will fade within hours.

Rolling his ankle experimentally, Magnus smiles. It’s bitter, but his words aren’t. “Thank you. I owe you.”

“Consider this payment in full for London,” she says, and that’s enough to spark a real smile. White, mundane men don’t take well to her outright rejecting their advances, especially with an insult. Especially in the 1920’s.

“That was an excellent brawl,” Magnus says, raising an eyebrow, smile meant.

There’s another knock at the door, and Alec opens it, Madzie curled up on his chest, already mostly asleep. He looks apologetic. “I’m sorry, but the Consul’s here.”

“Well, we’re done anyway,” Catarina says as Magnus stands up, arms already offering to take Madzie.

Arms wrapping around Magnus’ neck as she settles into his grip, Madzie barely opens her eyes, but Alec shares a look with Magnus Catarina doesn’t quite understand.

“You should both… Underhill’s going to see you out, ok?” Alec says, and Magnus nods, cradling the back of Madzie’s head.

“I’ll get Magnus to the loft,” Catarina assures him, and Alec looks relieved, nodding, but Magnus pauses.

“You don’t have to-”

“I know,” Catarina says, and the blonde shadowhunter is already waiting for them, so she passes Alec to walk out, raising her eyebrow at Magnus when he glares at her.

Alec leans over, careful not to disturb Madzie, to kiss his cheek. “I’ll see you at home, ok? And I’ll try to be quick.”

“Ok,” Magnus says, and after a lingering look, follows Catarina.

Alec disappears in the opposite direction to them, and the shadowhunter’s a little cautious in leading them, clearly trying to get them out unseen by the Consul, but Catarina’s fairly sure it’s for their protection, not Alec’s.

“So,” she says lightly, and Magnus looks to her. “‘Home’. When did that happen?”

“He’s slowly taking over more and more drawers in the bedroom,” he says, but she sees the smile in his eyes. “Quite frankly, it’s becoming an occupation, rather than a visitation.”

“I’ll lock him out, if you want,” she offers, and Magnus shakes his head, the humour fading.

“Thank you for the offer, but I could… do that myself,” Magnus says, and Catarina bites her tongue.

Wishing she hadn’t said it, she turns away. She doesn’t know how to tell him he’ll be alright, when the very thing he defined himself by is gone. She stays quiet, conjuring a portal when they’ve left the Institute, staying with him at the loft as long as she can find reason to, but in the end, Madzie needs to go to bed and Alec will come back.

He’ll make Magnus understand. He loves Magnus, he seems to know what to say and how to make Magnus _hear_ it.

The portal conjured, Madzie asleep on Catarina’s shoulder, she says goodbye with a stroke of his cheek, and he tries to smile, his hand wrapped around his wrist again absentmindedly.

“Thank you, Catarina,” he says softly, and she nods.

“Anything. Any time.”

Letting her hand drop, sighing, she steps through the portal. Her apartment’s silent when it vanishes, and for a moment, she simply stands in it, rocking Madzie slowly.

Today could have been so much worse.

**Author's Note:**

> SHADOWHUNTERS IS BACK IT'S LEGIT THE BEST THING THAT'S HAPPENED TO ME ALL YEAR AND I GOT A JOB LAST WEEK


End file.
